Machine for inserting fastenings.



P. L. MAGKENZIE.

MACHINE FOR INSBRTING PASTBNINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1910.

llllll!" Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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751.15% @fw/w@ P. L. MACKBNZIE.

MACHINE FOR INSBRTING PASTENINGS.

APPLIGATIDN FILED JUNE 23, 1910.

1,016,947, Patented Feb. 13,1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 nnTTnn sTaTns rATnNT orrion.

FRED I.. MAOKENZIE, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOEMACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MACHINE FOR INSERTING FASTENINGS.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED L. MACKENZIE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain Improvements in Machines for Inserting Fastenings,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a. speciiication, like reference characters on the drawingsindicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for inserting fastenings andparticularly to a machine for inserting fastenings which comprisesmechanism for automatically controlling the selection of the fasteningsto be inserted` whereby the fastenings may be suited to somecharacteristic or characteristics of the work. Controlling mechanism ofthis type is usually adapted to provide, or to select from a pluralityof sources of supply, a fastening of a length suited to the thickness ofthe work to be operated upon, and an object of the invention is toprovide improved mechanism for this purpose which will insure a changefrom one length of fastening to another for slight variations uponeither side of a critical thickness for which the mechanism has beenset.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism for thepurposes above pointed out which will 'be sensitive and yet positive inoperation, and which will be so related to the other' mechanisms thatits operation will not interfere with the operations of said mechanismsnor extend the time required for a complete fastening inserting cycle ofoperations.

The invention is herein shown as embodied in a machine for insertingfastenings of the type disclosed in the co-pending application of GeorgeGoddu, Serial No. 476,649, filed February 8, 1909, machines of this typebeing known to the trade as loose nailing machines. Moreover theinvention is herein shown as constituting an improvement upon themechanism for automatically shifting a double raceway in accordance withvariations in the thickness of the work which is disclosed in saidco-pending application, although it will be understood that many of thenovel features of construction and operation herein disclosed aresusceptible of wide application.

The automatic raceway shifting mecha- Specification of Letters Patent.

the thickness of the work,

Fatented Feb. 13, 1912.

Application filed June 23, 1910. Serial No. 568,487.

nism of the co pending application comprises a part which is set toshift the raceway from long nail position to short nail position, orvice versa., in accordance with changes in the thickness of the workfrom one side to the other of a predetermined critical thickness. Thispart may conveniently comprise a double pawl pivoted upon areciprocating carrier and arranged to be moved by said carrier from aposition in which it cooperates at times with a pawl tipper, whereby itis tipped from one operative position into the other, to a secondposition in which it coperates with other mechanism to shift the racewayin the desired direction.

In the construction shown in the co-pending application, the pawl tipperis operatively connected with work thickness gaging means and is movedinto its different tipping relations to the pawl as the said gagingmeans registers variations in the thickness of the work from one side tothe other side of the aforementioned critical thickness. Difiiculty hasbeen experienced with this construction, however, in securing uniformityof the nail selecting operation when the variations in the thickness ofthe work in the region of the critical thickness have been gradual.

An important object of the invention, therefore, is to improve theconstruction of the co-pending application by providing improved meansfor effecting the tipping of the double pawl from one shifting positionto the other as the work thickness gaging means registers the requiredvariations in and particularly to provide means for effecting the nailselecting change in the relationship of the parts at the desired timeswhich shall be sensitive to slight variations in the region of thecritical thickness and yet will be so positive in its operation that thevibrations of the machine, particularly when running at high speed, willnot interfere with such operation. To this end the connections betweent-he work thickness gaging means and the pawl tipper preferably comprisemeans by which the overthrow of the work gaging means in eitherdirection, caused by a marked increase or decrease in the thickness ofthe work with respect to the critical thickness, may be utilized toinitiate the operative movement of the pawl tipper before the criticalthickness has come into the eld 0f operation of the gaging means, saidmeans being preferably so constructed that a variation in the thicknessof the work of a predetermined amount within a determined range ofthicknesses will effect a movement of the pawl tipper to cause the pawlto be tipped from one nail selecting position to the other.

In one aspect, therefore, the invention may be said to comprise meansfor automaticallyY controlling the operation of double raceway shiftingmechanism in accordance with variations in the thickness-of the workconstructed to operate for an increase or decrease of a predeterminedamount within a determined range of thicknesses.

In another aspect, the invention may be said to comprise, in combinationwith work thickness gaging means, means for automatically effecting arelative movement of a plurality of fastening guides and a fasteningreceiver to bring a different guide into fastening delivering relationto said receiver as said gaging means registers a variation in thethickness of the work of a predetermined amount, said means beingconstructed to operate only for thicknesses gaged within a limited rangeupon either side of a predetermined critical thickness.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the pawl tipper is shownas comprising two pawl engaging members arranged to engage coperatingparts upon opposite sides of the pivot of the pawl, the illustratedtipper being arranged to operate upon the pawl only when the variationin thickness of the work has been such as to move the tipper from onepawl-tipping position to the other. Moreover it will be observed that acomparatively small relative movement of the pawl and its tipper isrequired to tip the pawl from one nail selecting position to the otherand that the tipping takes place upon the upward movement of the pawl,whereby the time required to effect the nail selecting positioning ofthe pawl and the shifting of the raceway is reduced to a minimum.

Other features and objects of the invention not hereinafter specificallyreferred to will be apparent upon a consideration of the followingdescription and claims in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine disclosed in theco-pending application, above identified, the invention being applied tothe side of this machine opposite to that shown in this figure; Fig. 2is a side elevation of the raceway shifting mechanism; Fig. 3 is aperspective view of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is adetail side elevation, the parts being arranged to shift the racewaytoward the ing application.

right whereas in Fig. 2 they are arranged to shift the raceway towardthe left; Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5`5 of Fig. 2, and Fig.6 is a detail perspective of the means for yieldingly holding the pawlupon either side of its middle position.

The machine of the co-pending application comprises, among other things,a horn 22 for supporting the work, the work being clamped between thehorn and a work abutment 266, when the nail is driven, and awl depthcontrolling mechanism comprising a rod 160 connected to a slide 162which constitutes a part of the horn release mechanism, a lever 152 anda rock-shaft 124 which carries a pinion with which a segment rack uponone end of the lever 152 engages. After each nail driving operation thehorn 22 is lowered, to permit the work to be fed, by means comprising atoggle 16S, 170, which is broken and straightened by connections with acam groove 184 in a camV wheel 48 upon the main shaft 2O of the machine,said connections comprising a bellcrank lever 182, a rod 180, abell-crank lever 178 and a link 17 6 connected at one end to the kneeoint of the toggle and at its vother end to an arm of said bell-cranklever 17S. For a more detailed description of these parts and the otherparts of the machine with which they coperate, reference may be had tothe co-pending application above referred to.

The mechanism for shifting the double raceway receives its operativemovement 'rom an extension of the bell-crank lever 182 and the directionof the shift-ing is determined by connections with the lever 152,hereinabove referred to as constituting a part of the awl depthcontrolling mechanism, it being apparent that these two parts operate atthe proper times to coordinate the setting vand shifting movements ofthe raceway controlling mechanism with the operations of the othermechanisms which go to make up the machine of the co-pend- The racewayshifting mechanism comprises an oscillatable member, the angularposition of which is determined by the thickness of the work gagedbetween the horn 22 and the work abutment 266 and the shifting mechanismproper, the operative connections between the oscillatable member andthe shifting mechanism proper being intermittent-ly completed. Thedirection of the operation of the shifting mechanism is determined bythe angular position of the said oscillatable member. The parts will nowbe describedv in detail.

A slide 280 mounted to reciprocate vertically in a guideway in thebracket 272 at each rotation of the main shaft 2O has pivoted upon itsouter face at the lower end a double pawl 502 hereinafter morespecifically described. Formed upon the front locking member 544attached to the lower end of a rod 288 which passes down through thecenter of the slide 280 and is held normally in its uppermost positionby a spring. The setting movement of the pawl tipper, or its movementfrom one pawl tipping position to the other, is limited by a pin 546which enters a slot 548 in the tipper, the tipper being frictionallyheld in its adjusted position by a friction washer surrounding the pin546 and spring pressed into engagement with the under face of thewasher.

The connections between the slide 304 and the double raceway 264comprise, as shown in the co-pending application hereinabove referredto, oppositely threaded rods 308 and 310 connected by an adjusting nut312, the rod 308 being pivotally connected by the lug 314 upon the sideof the double raceway 264. The rod 310' receives in an opening at oneend an eccentric pin carried upon the lower end of the rock-shaft 318,mounted in a bearing in the bracket 272, said rockshaft having formedupon its upper end a pinion with which meshes a segment gear 322 formedupon the end of the rock arm 324 upon .the upper end of the rock-shaft326, also mounted in a bearing in bracket 27 2 and carrying at its lowerend a segment gear 328 which meshes with rack teeth 330 formed upon theslide bar 304, the rack teeth 330 being formed at an inclination to theslide bar 304 and the bearings for the rock-shafts 326 and 318 beingcorrespondingly inclined, this inclination serving to prevent bindingwhen the inclined raceway is moved. The shifting movement of the slide304 is suflicient to turn the eccentric pin around from one dead centerto the other, with respect to the rod 310, so that the raceways are bothpositively shifted and positively held in the positions into which theyhave been shifted.

The operation of the double raceway shifting mechanism is as follows:The parts being in the position shown in Fig. 2 in which position theslide 304 is at the left hand limit of its movement, let it be assumedthat the stock has varied in thickness enough to require a nail from theother groove in the raceway. In the position of the parts shown in Fig.2, the stock gaged between the horn 22 and the work abutment 266 hasrequired the shorter of the two lengths of nails provided in the tworaceway grooves. Therefore the stock must increase in thickness toeffect the change in position of the parts assumed. As the stock gagedbetween the horn 22 and work abutment- 266 increases in thickness, thelever 152 will turn in a clockwise direction in Fig. 2, thus through thearm 268 and the teeth 506 turning the linger 516 in a counterclockwisedirection in this figure. As the finger 516 begins to turn about itscenter of oscillation, it will face of the slide 280 is a rack bar 294which is engaged by a segment rack 296 upon an arm 298 connected to thebell crank 182 and turning about the pivot 300 of said bell crank. Asthe bell crank 182 is rocked with each rotation of the main shaft 20 bythe cam groove 184 in the cam wheel 48, the slide 280 will bereciprocated vertically and the pawl 502 will be carried into and out ofoperative relation to a pawl tipper 500 which is adapted to tip the pawlto one side or the other as the thickness of the work varies, the amountof variation required being preferably from one side to the other of acritical thickness for which the mechanism is set.

The pawl tipper 500 is set to determine the angular position of thedouble pawl 502 by connections with the arm 268 comprising a sleeve 504having formed thereon teeth 506 which mesh with the rack teeth upon thearm 268. The arm 268 is connected to the outer end of the rock-shaft 154to which the lever 152 is also connected. The sleeve 504 is mounted inbearings in the bracket 272 and surrounds a short shaft 4 508 havingattached to its inner end a T- shaped arm 510 upon which are pivotedtake-up devices 512 and 514 connected by a spring 515. Depending fromthesleeve 504 is a finger 516 which is located between the adjacent edgesof the take-up devices 512 and 514. Movement of the take-up devices 512,514 toward each other is limited by stops 518, 520, respectively.Between the take-up devices and the T-shaped arm 510 are frictionwashers 522 surrounding the pivots upon which the take-up devices turn.

Connected to the outer end of the shaft 508 is a segment gear 524 whichmeshes with gear teeth formed upon one arm of a lever 526, pivoted at528 upon the bracket 272. rllhe pawl tipper 500 is adjustably connectedto the other arm of the lever 526 by a set screw 530 passing through anarcshaped slot 532 formed in the pawl tipper. By loosening the set screw530 the pawl tipper may readily be adjusted to cause it to effect theshifting of the raceway for a different critical thickness.

The double pawl 502,here shown, has arms which engage the shoulders 302and 306 upon the slide 304. Attached to or forming a part of the pawl502 is a semicircular piece 534 providing shoulders upon opposite sidesof the pivot of the pawl which cooperate with dogs 536, 538 upon thepawl tipper 500 to eect the turning or tipping of the pawl 502.Depending below the pivot of the pawl 502 and having its point locatedin the median line between the tips of the two arms of the pawl is alocking member 540 shown in detail in Fig. 6. The point of the lockingmember 540 enters one or the other of two notches 542 in a coperatingpush against the overthrow take-up device 512 and tend to turn it aboutits pivot on the T-shaped arm 510. This take-up device is frictionallyheld against turning with suiiicient force to cause the arm 51() to turnthe rock shaft 508 and through its connections with the pawl tipper 500to turn said tipper `about its pivot its work tipping the engagement ofthe pin 546 with the other end of' the slot 548. This movement of thelVtipper will take place beforel the take-up device 512 overcomes thefriction 1n its connections with the arm 510. lVhen the finger 516 ismoved sufficiently to bring the pawl tipper 500 into its other tippingposition, the arm 510 will be farther by reason of its connections withthe tipper and therefore further movement of the finger 516 willovercome the friction in the connection betweenthe take-up device 512and the arm 510 and the take-up device 512 will be turned about itspivot and moved away from take-up device 512 is by the arm 516 thetake-up device 514 will be moved about its pivot in the same directionby reason of the spring connection 515 between the two take-up devices,and the take-up device 514 will therefore follow the finger 516 and bekept constantly in engagement therewith until said take-up deviceengages its stop 520. If the overthrow of the finger 515 should begreater than that required to bring the take-up device 514 into contactwith the stop 520, the linger 5.16 will then move away from the adjacentedge of the take-up device `514. It will thus be seen that whenever'there is an overthrow of the finger 516 a portion at least of thisoverthrow is utilized in causing a change in position of one or theother of the take up devices 512 and 514, such that when the fingerstarts to move in the other direction it will start the movement of thepawl tipper into its other tipping position before the criticalthickness for which the shifting mechanism has been set is reached. Therange of thicknesses upon each side of the critical thickness formovement of the pawl .tipper may be initiated is determined by the stops518 and 520.

It will be noted that the ratio of the lever arms and the gear ratio inthe connections between the take-up devices 512, 514, and the pawltipper are such that the pawl tipper will be moved from one tippingposition to the other for a comparatively small movement of the finger516,-in other words for a slight change in the thickness of the work inthe region of the critical thickness. Having adjusted the work supportin its relation to the raceway shifting mechanism so that a long nailwill be supplied if the thickthe stop 518. As the 528 into the other-ofpositions determined by prevented from moving moved about its pivotwhich the setting ness of the work exceeds a predetermined or criticalthickness, the small movement of the finger 516 required to shift thepawl tpper from one tipping position to the other will be eective notonly for a change of thickness which starts -when the critical thicknesshas been gaged but Valso for a change of thickness of the same amountwhich starts upon either side of the critical thickness within limitsdetermined by the position of the gaging means when the finger has movedin one direction far enough not only to tip the pawl but also to causeit to move away from the take-up device 512, after said device hasengaged the stop 518, and the position of the gaging means when the saidfinger has moved in the other direction far enough not only to tip thepawl but also to cause it to move away from the take-up device 514, whensaid device has engaged the stop 520.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the amount of variation inthe thickness of the work required to move the pawl tipper from onetipping position to the other is so related to the range of thicknessesin which such variation is effective to this end that the said variationwill always include the critical thickness.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a machine of the classdescribed, a double raceway having a long nail position and a short nailposition, mechanism for shifting said raceway from one position to theother and meansfor automatically controlling the operation of saidmechanism in accordance with variations in the thickness of the workconstructed to operate for an increase or decrease of predeterminedamount within a determined range of thicknesses greater than thatcovered by the required amount of increase or decrease.

2. In a machine of the class described, a double raceway having a longnail position and a short nail position, mechanismfor shifting saidraceway from one position to the other and means for automaticallycontrolling the operation of said mechanism in accordance with of thelwork constructed to operate for an increase or decrease ofpredetermined amount within a determined range of thickdetermined amountmeans registers a variation in the thickness 'of the work of apredetermined amount,

said means being constructed to operate only for thicknesses gagedwithin a limited range upon either side of a predetermined criticalthickness, the total range of thicknesses being greater` than thatcovered by the amount of increase or decrease required to produce thesaid relative movement.

t. In a machine of the class described, a double raceway carrying longand short nails, work thickness gaging means and means controlled by anincrease or decrease in the thickness of the work gaged of a preforbringing said raceway into position to deliver -a nail of the lengthrequired, said means being constructed to operate only for thicknessesgaged within a limited range upon either side of a predeterminedcritical thickness, the total range of thicknesses being' greater thanthat covered by the amount of increase or decrease required to producethe said relative movement.

5. In a machine of the class described, a double raceway carrying longand short nails, work thickness gaging means and means controlled by anincrease or decrease in the thickness of the work gaged of apredetermined amount for bringing said raceway into position to delivera nail of the length required, said means being constructed to operateonly for thicknesses gaged within a limited range upon either side of apredetermined critical thickness, and provision for adjustment todifferent critical thicknesses, the total range of thicknesses beinggreater than that covered by the amount of increase or decrease requiredto produce the said relative movement.

6. In a machine of the class described, a double raceway having a longnail position and a short nail position, and means for automaticallyshifting said raceway from one position to the other as the work variesin thickness, comprising a part arranged to move from one side to theother of an intermediate position as the thickness of the work increasesor decreases, members yieldingly pressed toward each other upon oppositesides of said movable part, one of said members being engaged and movedby said part as it moves in one direction and the other being engagedand moved by said part as it moves in the other direction, stops forlimiting the movement of said members toward each other arranged topermit each member to follow said movable part past its intermediateposition and means for determining the direction of shift of the racewayhaving connections to said members whereby it is set by the movement ofeither member by said part.

7. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a fasteningreceiver, a plurality of fastening guides movable relatively to saidreceiver, mechanism for eecting the movement of said guides and meansfor controlling the direction of movement of said mechanism inaccordance with the thickness of the work comprising a double pawl and apawl tipper, said pawl tipper being provided with separate means forengaging and tipping the pawl in each direction.

8. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a fasteningreceiver, a plurality of fastening guides movable relatively to saidreceiver, mechanism for effecting the movement of said guides, means forcontrolling the direction of movement of said mechanism in accordancewith the thickness of the work comprising work gaging means, a doublepawl and a pawl tipper, and means for utilizing the overthrow of thework gaging means to initiate the operative movement of the pawl tipperbefore the critical thickness for which the guide moving mechanism isset comes into the field of operation of the gaging means.

9. In a machine of the class described, a double raceway having a longnail position and a short nail position, mechanism for shifting saidraceway from one position to the other and means for automaticallycontrolling the operation of said mechanism in accordance withvariations in the thickness of the work constructed to operate for anincrease or decrease of predetermined amount within a determined rangeof thicknesses, the variation in thickness between the limits of saiddetermined range of thicknesses being greater than the amount ofincrease or decrease required to operate said controlling means.

IOQA machine of the class described having, in combination, afastening-receiving throat, a plurality of raceways shiftable relativelyto said throat to bring any one into operative relation thereto andautomatic shifting means constructed both to shift said raceways and tohold them positively in the position into which they have been shifted.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED L. MACKENZIE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE GoDDU, l H. DoRsEY SPENCER.

five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. C.

Commissioner of Patents.

